Method of forming joints on railway-track rails



(No Model.) I

H. W. FALK.

METHOD or FORMING JOINTS ON RAILWAY TRACK RAILS. No. 558,270. PatentedApr. 14, 1896.

W I l INVENTOR.

A TTORN E Y.

UNITED STATES 1 ATEN'r OFFICE.

HERMAN IV; FALK, OF MILWAUKEE, IVISCONSIN. 7

METHOD OF FORMING JOINTS ON RAILWAY-TRACK RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,270, dated April14, 1896.

Application filed July 1, 1896. Serial No. 554,608. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMAN W. FALK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, State of VViscousin, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Methods of FormingJoints on Railway-Track Rails and I declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to an improved method of forming joints ofrailway-track rails, and relates more particularly to a method wherebythe rails of old track which have been used and have become considerablyworn adjacent to the joints may be repaired and rejointed so as topresent a smooth and even upper surface for engagement with the wheels.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is aside elevation of a pair of rail ends which have been joined by myimproved method preparatory to finishing off or surfacing the heads ofthe rail ends. Fig. 2 is a similar View illustrating said joint in itsfinished condition. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a car, illustratingmeans carried thereon for finishing or surfacing the upper faces of therail ends at and adjacent to the joints.

In forming railjoints by my improved method I proceed in a mannersimilar to that disclosed in a prior application filed by AlbertI-Ioifmann and myself for Method of and apparatus for formingrail-joints, Serial No. 542,183, and also in my prior application forpatent for Method of and appliances for joining rail ends, Serial No.549,117. In both of said prior applications the adjacent ends of therails are united or joined together by means of a surrounding body ofcast metal, which is poured into a mold and around said rail ends and iscaused to adhere or become fused thereto.

It is a well-known fact that after railway? rails have been used for aconsiderable length of time the abutting ends at the joints become moreor less worn, and owing to the constant yielding of the rail ends at thejoints (where they have been retained in position by fishplate joints)the ends of the rails become badly battered and worn, so that theypresent depressions at and adjacent to the joints and thereby cause agreat deal of undue wear and tear upon the rolling-stock of the road.Furthermore, as said wear upon the rail ends increases the tendency tostill further and more rapid wear of the same increases.

It often happens that the rail ends have become so badly worn andbattered at the joints in the track that it is necessary to take up saidrails and either saw off the worn and battered ends of the same or tosubstitute new rails therefor in order to obtain a satisfactory track.

It is the object of my present invention to provide means whereby theold and Worn rails of railway-tracks may be satisfactorily repaired orjoined without either removing any portion of the rail ends or taking upsaid rail ends from their position in the track.

To this end I prepare the rail ends for joining in the following manner:If there is any opening or space between the adjacent ends of the railsat the joint, I drive between said rail ends a suitable shim, which isconveniently shaped in cross:section to correspond with the rails,although it may be of any convenient or desired shape, the object beingto tightly wedge the same within the opening or space between the railends, so as to fill said opening or space. Of course where the rail endsare tightly abutted together the shim will be omitted.

In the drawings, A A designate the rail ends to be joined, B designatesthe shim or wedge which is driven between said rail ends, and Odesignates the mold which is formed or adjusted about the abutting endsof the rails, and in which the body D of metal is cast and fused to thesurfaces of the rail ends.

As described in my aforesaid prior application, Serial No. 1 l9,117, thecast-metal body D is formed around and beneath the lower parts of therail ends, the upper parts or heads of said rail ends being left free oruncovered by said metal, and this results in the heating of the lowerportions of said ends to a high degree of temperature, while the upperor head portions of said ends are not heated to nearly so highatemperature as said lower or base portions. It follows, therefore, thatin the opera-tion of eastin g the metal body D upon the rail ends, thelower portions of said rail ends being raised to a welding heat and theupper or head portions remaining at a comparatively low temperature, agreater degree of expansion will take place in the lower or baseportions of the rail ends than in the upper or head portions thereof.If, now, all the space between said rail ends be filled, so as toprevent the free expansion of the lower portions of said ends,tl1eunequal expansion of the lower and the upper portions thereof will serveto force or crowd the rail ends upwardly at the joint. This springing orwarping of the rail ends is the natural result of the unequal expansionof the rail ends while confined and prevented from freely expandinglongitudinally. When a joint has thus been formed, the upper surfaces ofthe heads of the rail ends at the joint will be warped or forcedupwardly to or above the level of the track, as shown in Fig. 1, theends which were formerly worn away below said level now rising to orabove said level. After a joint has been thus formed and allowed tocool, I dress off or surface the upper faces of the rail ends where theyhave been upheaved in the manner described, therebybringin g the uppersurfaces of said heads to a uniform level, so as to afford a perfectlylevel and even roadway. This operation of removing the surplus metalabove the joint maybe performed in any desired manner and by any desiredappliances.

I have found it convenient, however, to employ for this purpose asuitable truck, capable of being moved along the track and earryingsuitable surfacing or shaping toolssuch, for instance, as shown in Fig.3. In

' said figure I hai e shown a truck E as provicled with a suitableengine or other motor F, geared to the carrying or truck wheels 6 e, andalso arranged to actuate the reciprocating shaper-tool G. Of course anyother form of tool may be employed instead of the shaper shownsuch, forinstance, as an emerygrinder or the like.

In finishing the joints the truck E is advanced along the track untilover the joint, when by adjusting the shaping or finishing tool to thedesired level and connecting the same with the actuating engine or motormotion will be imparted to said tool, thereby causing it to operativelyengage with the upper surfaces of the abutting rail ends. By this meansthe upper faces of the rail ends may be dressed down until the desiredlevel is reached and said ends are made uniform with the other portionsof the track, the tool being adjusted in a familiar manner as thecutting operation progresses.

By my improved method I am enabled to repair track in which the railshave become so badly worn as to render them practically useless or tonecessitate the removal of the ends thereof in order to render the trackagain serviceable by ordinary methods.

My improved method also enables me to effeet this repairing or rejoiningof the rail ends without taking up or disturbing the track in the least,it being obvious that the track may be continually used at all timesexcepting during the actual operation of casting the metal body D uponthe rail ends and during the actual operation of dressing down the saidends.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. Animproved method of joining rail ends consisting in arranging a pairof rail ends so as to prevent longitudinal expansion thereof, casting abody of metal around and upon the lower portions of the rail ends andsubsequently dressing down or surfacing the upper faces of said railends to the level of the track, substantially as described.

2. A method of joining rail ends consisting in inserting between theadjacent ends of a pair of rails a suitable wedge or shim, casting abody of metal around and upon the lower portions of said rail ends, andfinally surfae ing or dressing down the upper faces of said ends to thelevel of the track, substantially as described.

3. An improved method of repairing railway-track consisting in insertinga wedge or shim between the adjacent worn ends of a pair of rails,casting a body of metal around and upon the lower portions of said ends,and simultaneously impartin to said lower parts of said rail ends, asufhcient degree of heat to cause unequal expansion of said ends, and anupward warping or bending of the head portions thereof, substantially asdescribed.

4. An improved method of repairing railway-track consisting in drivingor wedging a suitable shim or piece of metal between the worn ends of apair of rails, casting a body of metal upon the lower portions of saidrail ends, and simultaneously heating said lower portions of said railends sufiioiently to cause an unequal expansion of the upper and lowerparts of said ends, and an upward warping or bending of said ends, andfinally surfacing or finishing the upper faces of said ends to a levelwith the track, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

HERMAN \V. FALK. \Vitnesses:

JOHN E. WILEs, E. XV. STOUT.

